Food for thought, in double quick time

According to company history, Clarence was sent to explore the frozen Arctic wastes in his capacity as US government field naturalist. An astute man, he noticed that freshly caught fish, when placed on the Arctic ice and exposed to frigid winds, froze solid almost immediately. Birdseye also discovered that, when thawed and eaten, the fish retained its fresh characteristics. The defining moment that business acumen and $ signs rang in Clarence's eyeballs, screeched up in a flash: by quickly freezing certain items you could stave off crystal formation and prevent damage to cellular structure. By September 1922, Clarence had organised his own company - Birdseye Seafoods Inc. However, it was his bright spark invention two years later that indirectly spawned convenience food offspring like Marks & Spencer, Iceland Frozen Foods, Pot Noodle, and, of course, Birds Eye Walls. Two years later Clarence

gave the world the art of quick freezing: packing dressed fish or other food in cartons, then freezing the contents between two flat and refrigerated surfaces under pressure. By 1938 Birds Eye Walls was ready to unleash the full might of the frozen fish on British consumers. The frozen foods industry was now underway and mum toddled off to Iceland!

Lyndel Costain is the spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. Unexpectedly, she does not condemn convenience foods out of hand as nutritional disaster areas but, rather, advises a vigilant approach by consumers. She says: ''In the past five years there has been a phenomenal increase in the range of convenience foods and a concerted effort by manufacturers to make their foods healthier.''

Citing the Lean Cuisine, Weight Watcher, and Healthy Option ranges, Costain says consumers should still ''compare and contrast'' the fat, salt, and nutritional levels in such dishes and be wary of the deep-fried and creamy sauces that dress the ''health foods''. She continues: ''Despite the health angle, portions do tend to be on the small side in this type of food so it is always a good idea to augment ready-meals with fresh vegetables or a salad and still finish off with fresh fruit.''

Costain also understands the appeal in sampling a melting pot of international cuisines at the ping of a microwave button. ''The huge range of chilled as opposed to dehydrated foods available from around the globe is amazing,'' she says, pointing out the advantages of M&S doing the hard work when it comes to finding specialist ingredients. ''No-one is about to search out exotic lemon grass for a one-off Thai meal. It's cheaper and easier than going to a restaurant and you get a taster of another cuisine.''

However, the downside of Birdseye's legacy has resulted in a backlash by those worried about the effect of preservers, enhancers, and modifiers upon our tastebuds and health. Herald contributor Claire MacDonald is an eloquent critic of this new foil-packed book of eating as purveyed by her pet hate - the supermarket. ''As a nation we are definitely slipping into the expectation of picking up a pre-packaged meal and depriving ourselves of valuable nutrients when we could be eating far safer, better, and cheaper,'' she argues. Mary Contini, co-owner of Edinburgh's Valvona & Crolla foodshop, is equally critical of the convenience food we are sold. ''First, it is a very expensive way to eat,'' she counters. ''On a health basis the vitamins in the food have probably been diminished by a heavy heating process. Then there is the recent evidence from Cambridge University suggesting a link between

colon and gut cancer and convenience foods.''

Ironically, MacDonald points out that the very food product that set off this state of affairs is in fact the best convenience food. ''What we forget is that raw fish is actually the real convenience food, taking literally seconds to cook!'' She also suggests that with minimal planning batches of fresh soup or casseroles can be made in advance and then gently re-heated at your convenience. ''Convenience is very much a state of mind,'' she argues. ''Think of the cost, nutritional value, and taste, and fresh food wins every time.''

MacDonald is only one of the sea of cooks who fear we are raising a generation of convenience and fast-food junkies. Can't Cook? Boil A Bag! Can't Boil? Phone out for Italian, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Japanese etc. As Lyndell Costain warns: ''There is a danger that children become so used to seeing food come from the freezer, microwaved, then tipped on to the plate that they actually forget how to cook.''

The danger of losing such basic life skills compounded by dulling the collective palate with a diet of Vespa Currys and beef-flavoured Pot Noodles is a concept anathematic to Contini. A food writer as well as independent food retailer, Contini is so concerned about what she labels ''the stunting of a child's lazy palate'' by flavours, preservatives, and enhancers, that she has teamed up with fellow foodie Pru Irvine to write a book encouraging children how to cook. ''Convenience foods mean that on an emotional level you take away the central act of the family meal,'' she argues. ''People are coming in and eating alone at various times and children are missing out on a social and nutritional level.''

This is the Catch-22 familiar to millions of UK families where the changing patterns in society has meant a huge gap in the market for the supermarkets providing ready-cooked meals. With parents out working full time and having no time to cook, the supermarket frozen and chilled aisles are heaving with the answer, though Glasgow University sociologist Barbra Littlewood says: ''The jury is still out when it comes to convenience foods being a consequence or cause of the changing patterns in family life.'' The traditional 100% home-cooked meal is, she says, a ''rarity often fraught with tears and tantrums''.

But why should this be when we are in the midst of a deluge of TV cookery programmes and celebrity-led cookbooks topping the polls and sales charts? Our interest in good food is heightened but we are obviously not bridging the chasm between watching and doing. This is the view of Littlewood. ''I think that these sumptuous cookbooks are basically porn for women to read in bed,'' she says. ''People will get twinges every now and then but for the most part it is a voyeuristic process of watching the TV or reading the book while you are waiting for the microwave to ping.'' She concludes: ''Cooking is presented as a hobby and not a functional requirement on that level.''

Contini also believes we are being misled by celebrity cooks. ''You find that many of them are restaurant chefs who give out very complicated ingredients which confuse people and deter them from cooking. Whereas cooking is really very simple!''

But, despite their best efforts, the fresh food fighters are engaged in an uphill battle with the public's apparent determination and supermarkets' provision of convenience over simple cooking. You'll be counting E-numbers for the conceivable future.

n Claire MacDonald is at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Tuesday next week at 11am, and Mary Contini on Thursday next week at 3pm.